March 23, 2026, 1:10 p.m. CT
You don’t need to be in one place for long to make a lasting impression. Jared McCain is learning that firsthand as he returns to his old gym. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road to face the Philadelphia 76ers. While the talent discrepancy should knock out any interest in it being a competitive game, there are plenty of storylines.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams is back. He missed 16 straight games recovering from a second hamstring strain. His ramping up in the final three weeks of the regular season will be OKC’s second top goal — aside from grabbing homecourt advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.
For the Sixers, they welcome back McCain. Just a little over a month since he was shockingly traded, he’s seamlessly fit in with the reigning NBA champions. He’s averaged 12.3 points on 46.9% shooting and 2.4 rebounds in 19 games. He’s shot 44% from 3 on 5.3 attempts.
For the first time in a while, the Thunder have a natural gunner. You’re seeing his confidence grow among OKC’s player-friendly ecosystem. They’ve gladly fed him the ball to manufacture offense when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is chilling on the bench.
Expect emotions to be high as McCain returns to Philadelphia. Even though over a month has passed since the trade, Sixers fans’ anger remains red. Anytime the 22-year-old goes off, you can expect a flock of his old team’s fanbase to question the puzzling move even further. Shock has turned into anger. They’re still going through the stages of grief.
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Surrounded by Sixers reporters, McCain talked at Monday’s shootaround. He talked about the ongoing support Philadelphia fans have shown him — which is quite the feat, considering how cold and calculated that city historically gets with its pro sports teams. Santa can vouch for that.
“It means a lot. I always love the Philly fans. They were always super nice to me whenever I went out. When I got hurt, coming back from it. They were always just super positive and super helpful, in my opinion,” McCain said. “So shout out to them for having my back through this process and always just being there for me. Though the DMs I’ve gotten. Just super nice and just saying they miss me and stuff.”
In a move that tastes like irony, the Sixers will show McCain a tribute video before they play the Thunder. Even though his tenure there was short, it’s obvious how much he impacted Philadelphia. Before a torn meniscus, he provided the fanbase with some badly-needed hope as he was smackdab in the middle of Rookie of the Year conversations last year.
And even after getting blindsided by the move, McCain has shown love to the Sixers. The initial shock might’ve stung like a thousand bees, but joining the Thunder has proven to be the best move for his basketball ambitions so far.
“To be drafted here, when I first got drafted, it’s obviously the greatest day of my life to be drafted. So I’ll always be thankful for Philly, for Daryl for drafting me like that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” McCain said. “So I’ll never have any regret of being here, any attitude towards this organization because they drafted me.”